Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde (pronounced "lord"), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Born in Takapuna and raised in Devonport, Auckland, she became interested in performing as a child. In her early teens, she signed with Universal Music Group and was later paired with the songwriter and record producer Joel Little, who has co-written and produced most of Lorde's works. Her first major release, The Love Club EP, was commercially released in March 2013. The EP reached number two on the national record charts of New Zealand and Australia.
In mid-2013, Lorde released her debut single "Royals". It became an international crossover hit and made Lorde the youngest solo artist to achieve a US number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1987. In late 2013, she released her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. The record topped the charts of New Zealand and Australia and reached number three on the US Billboard 200. Its following singles include "Tennis Court", "Team", "No Better" and "Glory and Gore". In 2014, Lorde released "Yellow Flicker Beat" as a single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
Lorde's music consists of subgenres such as dream pop and indietronica. She has earned two Grammy Awards, a Brit Award and ten New Zealand Music Awards. In 2013, she was named among Time's most influential teenagers in the world, and in the following year, she was in Forbes's "30 Under 30" list.
Discography
Studio albums
- Pure Heroine (2013)
Extended plays
- The Love Club EP (2013)
- Tennis Court EP (2013)
Singles
- Royals (2013)
- Tennis Court (2013)
- Team (2013)
- No Better (2013)
- Glory and Gore (2014)
- Yellow Flicker Beat (2014)
Awards and achievements
Following her breakthrough, Lorde won four New Zealand Music Awards at the 2013 ceremony. "Royals" additionally earned the New Zealand APRA Silver Scroll Awards in that year. At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Lorde received two Grammy Awards for her single "Royals" in the categories Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year. She has also won two Billboard Music Awards, one MTV Video Music Award and three World Music Awards.
Major associations:
- American Music Awards: (4 nominations)
- Billboard Music Awards: (2 wins) - (14 nominations)
- Golden Globe Awards: (1 nomination)
- Grammy Awards: (2 wins) - (4 nominations)
- MTV Video Music Awards: (1 win) - (2 nominations)
- People's Choice Awards: (1 nomination)